Portuguese 
Spanish 
4 min of reading 
0 comments 
Letter password appears in Caixa authentication flows and helps explain an uncommon step in the Brazilian banking experience, now less frequent in operations where biometrics already replace card and password.
The letter password used in ATMs integrates banking authentication mechanisms associated with self-service in Brazil, especially in face-to-face operations carried out at physical terminals.
At Caixa Econômica Federal, the official reference appears as Syllabic IP, an alternative provided in situations where biometric authentication is not available for the client’s CPF.
According to Caixa, when the CPF is not in the database used for biometrics, the transaction flow can proceed through password or Syllabic IP.
-
Dissatisfied with seeing women outside the major breweries, a South African revives ancestral tradition, creates a brand with African ingredients, and trains new female brewmasters.
-
Archaeologists find a face carved in stone in Kazakhstan and the discovery raises curious questions about ancient tombs, ancestors, and mysterious rituals of the Bronze Age.
-
Historic record of Brazil in the World Cup has just been broken and still brings an unwanted memory for Brazilians.
-
China installs four giant steel beams in just 6 days, working 16 centimeters from an active railway where almost 160 trains pass every day.
The same page informs that biometric authentication begins with the use of the magnetic card and continues with the comparison of the fingerprint captured at the terminal with the pattern saved in the bank.
This model shows that the password formed by letters or syllables should not be treated as an isolated curiosity, but as part of an authentication structure used in certain banking flows.
The presence of biometrics, on the other hand, has reduced the need to resort to additional steps in operations where the client already has a valid biometric registration.
Syllabic password at the ATM
The so-called syllabic password differs from the conventional numeric password because it is linked to the selection of letters or syllables displayed on the terminal, rather than relying solely on a fixed sequence typed on the keyboard.
This type of authentication has become associated with the experience of customers at Brazilian ATMs, especially in operations that required additional identity confirmation before completing the transaction.
In the case of Caixa, the official mention of Syllabic IP appears within the page about biometrics, indicating its function as an alternative when fingerprint identification cannot be completed.
The public information available does not allow us to state, with documentary certainty, that only Brazil has adopted this type of password in ATMs.
Even so, the sources consulted confirm that Syllabic IP appears in the official authentication flow of Caixa, an institution with a wide presence in banking, social, and self-service services in the country.
Therefore, the most accurate approach is to treat the letter password as a documented technology in the Brazilian banking system, without turning the singularity indicated in the title into an absolute historical statement.
Multi-layered Banking Authentication
The letter password fits into a layered authentication logic, where different credentials may be requested depending on the channel, service, and the client’s registration status.
Magnetic card, numeric password, syllabic password, and biometrics appear as mechanisms that can coexist at different points in the banking journey, without all being required for every transaction.
In practice, this model reduces reliance on a single form of identification and allows the institution to maintain alternatives when a particular technological resource is unavailable.
Caixa itself describes biometrics as a process of comparing the fingerprint captured at the terminal with the pattern previously registered in the institution’s database.
When this database does not recognize the client’s CPF, the bank informs that the transaction can proceed through another authentication method, including the password or the Syllabic IP.
The official documentation, therefore, supports the existence of the resource but does not publicly detail its entire historical origin, nor does it allow precise measurement of its scope compared to other countries.
Biometrics Advances in Caixa Terminals
Biometrics has become more visible in Caixa’s self-service terminals, especially in services where digital identification can eliminate the need for a card and password.
On June 13, 2025, Caixa announced the implementation of FGTS withdrawal with biometrics at the bank’s self-service terminals.
According to the announcement, workers with registered biometric records could withdraw up to R$ 3,000 from FGTS directly at ATMs, through digital identification, without presenting a card or entering a password.
The institution also reported that it had registered more than 33 million biometrics in 2024 and that the total number of biometric records had already reached 50 million.
The bank also stated that the expansion of biometrics was related to the reduction of in-person services at branches, compared to 2023 and with the continuation of this trend in 2025.
These data indicate an operational shift: in services covered by digital identification, biometrics can take on the primary authentication role and reduce the use of additional credentials.
Banking Technology and Self-service
The evolution of the letter password needs to be seen in the broader context of Brazilian banking digitalization, marked by the coexistence of physical channels, apps, internet banking, and self-service terminals.
The Brazilian Federation of Banks maintains the Febraban Banking Technology Survey, an annual survey that tracks investments, digital channels, and technological transformations in the financial sector.
This scenario helps explain why banks operate with different forms of authentication simultaneously, especially in an environment where in-person and digital services remain connected.
Instead of replacing all mechanisms at once, institutions usually maintain alternatives for clients with different registration profiles, access, and familiarity with digital channels.
The syllabic password, in this context, appears as a step associated with physical self-service, while biometrics advances as a solution to confirm identity more directly in certain services.
The biometric advancement does not mean, according to the public documentation consulted, that the Syllabic IP has disappeared from banking flows.
The available information shows that it remains foreseen as an alternative in specific situations, while at the same time losing ground when digital identification manages to complete the authentication.
Be the first to react!